This week's topic is how to save money on healthcare....obviously, the biggest way is by staying healthy....and if you are a client you are already doing that....Here are some other suggestions for improving your health and saving some money at the same time!

#1 Knowledge is priceless....if you are reading this article you are doing so but how about your family and friends...check for free classes, lectures, cooking demos and the like you'll probably learn something and save money at the same time.

#2 Take advantage of free health screenings.  Preventing issues or limiting them before they become major issues is key.  Check out your community news for free or low cost screenings for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass and the like.  I offer many of these services in conjunction with your appointment.

#3 Attend local health fairs to get screenings, ask questions, or pick up fitness tips.

#4 If you or someone you know lacks insurance and employment they probably qualify for free healthcare in one of many free clinics across the USA.  Check out www.freeclinics.us for more information.

#5 Enroll in a flexible spending account which can be used for all kinds of healthcare services including that at Apple-A-Day Clinic, and save hundreds of dollars per year in taxes.

#6 Take advantage of free or trial fitness memberships.  Yoga studios, personal trainers and many healthclubs offer a trial period in which you can experience the ambiance of their services for free.

#7 Use freebie coupons on the web for favorite health related products to use while shpping.

#8 Attend a cooking demo such as offered at Whole Foods.  Cooking for yourself saves a ton of money and gives you control over the quality of food you're eating.

Want to save money on supplements?  visit our Store! FREE Shipping!

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Buy NOW and ALSO get 10-20% OFF all orders over $99 with our thanks!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!  This week's topic is how can we delay the aging process.

I know of several ways two of them are boring, two of them maybe not so.  Recent studies show that vigorous exercise delays biologic aging as much as 12 years!!!  I know a trainer at my health club who is over 60 and could be guessed at 40!!! I am NOT kidding, nor am I naming names!

Increased oxygen consumption, muscle mass, basal metabolic rates and bone density are but a few benefits...add to that stress reduction, and you can see powerful this intervention can be.

The second tactic...not necessarily in order of importance is calorie restriction.  Research has shown that a nutrient dense low calorie diet extends youth in lab animals for at least 30 years.  The key to this intervention is to keep weight extremely low and to make certain that almost all foods consumed are nutrient dense IE fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Again, if you think of this logically, just pick up a 5 # weight and lug it around for an hour. You'll begin to see how quickly excess weight wears your body out.  Avoiding toxic foods and meeting your nutritional needs through foods is fundamental to your body's optimal function and repair.  The key is body fat has to be extremely low...12% men and 18% women or even less....this reduces oxidative stress in the body...the same process that causes metal to rust.

Antioxidant therapy can operate in the same fashion but must be tailored to the person as too many antioxidants can actually cause oxidative stress...so again, as is typical with Mother Nature...more is not necessarily better!

Lastly, bio-identical hormone therapy has been shown to be beneficial for many people and does not appear to cause the same side effects of conventional hormone therapy. There are probably two major reasons for this: the therapy is tailored to the individual via testing, of their hormone levels over time and second, the source of the hormones is plant versus animal and functions like their own hormone with respect to the receptors but is not the same.

Should you wish to discuss any of these interventions please call and schedule an appointment with my service 24 hours a day or online at www.Apple-A-Day-Clinic.COM.

Visit our Anti-Aging and Skin Beautification product aisles!

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!

Buy NOW and receive an additional 10-20% OFF all orders over $99, with our thanks!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Please check out our upcoming topics , Music in November's Meditation Room, and look for Nutrition News next Tuesday. 

So when's the best time to exercise...the new answer may surprise you.  Despite the general belief that it is important to exercise on an empty stomach, the truth is the very reverse especially if you want to lose weight.

Exercise boosts hormones that suppress appetite and therefore you will eat less when you next sit down for a meal.  Many of my clients and patients report lessened appetite after starting an exercise regimen.

So what happens if you exercise after a meal versus before?  Well, according to researchers at Surrey University and reported in the Journal of Endocrinology, those subjects who exercised after eating burned three times more calories as the control group even though they consumed MORE at their next meal, their overall caloric loss was more and they lost more weight.

The subjects also reported that they didn't feel as hungry when it came to mealtimes.  This could be because of hormones such as: PYY, GLP-1, and PP which signal the brain that the stomachis full and increase immediately after exercise.

I learned this personally awhile ago.  Accidently, I changed my schedule and began eating before I went to the gym instead of later in order to eat earlier.  I have seen tremendous gains in my metabolism and fat loss in that time span.

Like anything, though...it requires commitment and is no quick fix.

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Buy now and get 10-20% OFF all orders over $99

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

A new study from John Hopkins School of Medicine now links a diarrheal causing bacteria to one type of colon cancer.

In a study conducted on mice, the bacteria: Bacteroides Fragilis was identified as possibly setting the stage for malignancy in the colon.

The bacteria seems to trick immune cells into allowing colon tissue to be continuously inflamed eventually setting the stage for colon cancer.  Dr Cynthia Sears director of the study stated that this could be the H Pylori of the colon.  H. Pylori is the bacterium known to cause stomach ulcers and a majority of stomach cancers.

Bacteria that cause diarrheal illness have been linked to 40% of colon cancers in a turkish study.  Some people experience no symptoms at all while others may experience diarrheal illness and colon inflammation.

This information was reported in September 2009.

My notes on topic are that colon bacterial imbalances seem to be far more important than anyone realizes.  Microscopic investigation of stool and balancing the ecology of the gut always makes a great positive impact on health, in my 13 years of testing.

It stands to reason that bacteria can and do cause inflammation, I am fairly certain that this process will not be found to be limited to only one type of bacteria.

I am also certain that as science progresses bacterial infection will be found to have much to do with many degenerative diseases.

It you are interested in your gut ecology, a simple stool test by Genova Diagnostics is quite revealing and costs only $145.  This is a forum so I welcome your questions or comments

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Buy now and receive 10-20% OFF ALL orders over $99 with our thanks!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

This weeks topic is who really needs a flu shot.  Since spring and early summer, the government and drug companies have been ramping up a vaccine against swine flu....question is who really needs it?

This year not surprisingly, health experts have new recommendations on who should get a flu vaccination.  Health officials are saying YUP, no exceptions....EVERYONE NEEDS a Flu vaccination.  What's up with that?   Well for one, there is a huge quantity of vaccine on hand....and I guess the government just doesn't want to waste any more of it's taxpayer money.

Flu season is always a guessing game whereupon governements and drug companies must predict which flu will be most prevalent and how much vaccine to have on hand in order to stave off potential pandemics.

Outside the U.S., where vaccines are not as plentiful, healthcare workers and young children are given priority.

With respect to actual virology reports of the Swine Flu, the facts are: the worst impact of the virun is on people with other chronic health problems such as: asthma, diabetes, cancer and AIDS/HIV, anemia, kidney disease, or are on immune suppressive drugs due to an organ transplant for instance..  Pregnant women, the elderly, 65+, and overweight people seem also to be more susceptible to this virus.

Because the flu virus is grown inside eggs, people with egg allergies should not receive a flu shot.

If you are a caregiver to young children or an elderly relative,or other high risk individual, it is sometimes recommended to have a flu shot in order to protect them.

In terms of actual illness, the H1N1 virus has proven to be much less deadly than feared. Also, the actual vaccine available may not do much or anything with regard to the current strain of virus. ALso, another flu may turn out to be more problematic than the swine flu.

I certainly do not believe everone needs a flu shot. Certainly,  high risk individuals should discuss the pros and cons with their healthcare providers.  People living in nursing homes or college campuses in marginal health may be good candidates as may high risk pregnant women, and certainly immune compromised people and those with underlying chronic illness who could die from the flu virus.

I think the rest of us will do fine by taking care of ourselves, and our immune systems.

Please call or stop in should you wish to discuss ways to boost your immune system.

Life is complicated enough...without complications.

Best, Taryn DeCicco, ND, CCN, LDN, MS, LAc

Certified: naturopath, nutritionist, and acupuncturist

847-577-4455

Next week we'll discuss new information regarding the second most common form of cancer in the United States...See you next week.

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Buy now and ALSO get 10-20% OFF each order over $99!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Hello!  After a long rest, I have published September's Website with updoming articles activities, new testimonials and music a cover this month!  Here is an article updating cellphone safety.  Next week on Tuesday with a brand new nutriition newsletter and article on state of the art testing!  See you soon!  

Taryn DeCicco, ND

   EWG reports that cellphone radiation varies widely!

While scientific evidence has not made a hard link between cellphone usage and cancer, recent studies are showing an increased risk of brain and mouth tumors in people who have used cellphones for at least 10 years.

CTIA the cellphone lobbying organization disagrees strenuously!

Still, 6 other countries have limited cellphone usage, especially for children.

The FCC has required that radiation emitted from all cellphones be at 1.6 w/kg or lower.

There is a huge disparity in radiation emitted from each cell phone.

Watchdog organization the Environmental Working Group released a list ranking cell phones with respect to the radiation emitted.

To see how your phone fares visit: http://www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation

Regards & see you next week:

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, CCN

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Hello, I have just published the Website with promotions for the next few weeks, and announcing a great deal which is our community walk in clinic with very low cost nutrition and acupuncture visits.  Hope you will visit!!!

As always, I do offer absolutely FREE consultations to any new or existing patients no appointment needed, anytime!!!

This week we are going to discuss the best GREEN cleaning products.  These were announced by Good Housekeeping magazine after rigorous competition and testing.

For any product to be considered, "GREEN" it must be biodegradable, phosphate and chlorine free and derive its ingredients from plants rather than chemicals or petrolchemicals. 

Good Housekeeping found "winners" in three categories: Laundry detergent, dish detergents and all-purpose cleaners.

And the winners are:

Laundry Detergent:  Arm & Hammer Essentials 2X's concentrated which removed difficult stains like pen and blood. Runner up was Purex Natural Elements.

Dish Detergents:  Baked on difficult food residues were tested.  Planet Ultra dishwashing detergent was the standout.

All purpose cleaners were tested with grease and dust applied to appliance enamel, painted walls and laminate surfaces.

Winner?  Sun & Earth All Purpose, with Green Works all natural cleaner by Chlorox a close second.

Hope you'll try some of these out at home!

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for GREAT prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Buy now and get 10-20% OFF all orders over $99 with our thanks!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Hello everyone...I will hopefully have an email out to you this week with upcoming June events, as well as an updated website!  Stay Tuned!

If you have any thoughts regarding upcoming topics you would like me to address please send me an email anytime, and I will make every effort to address them.

This week I have an update for the drugged water article covered last spring.  Today's article also provides some interesting research regarding the possible spread of antibiotic resistant microbes in our environment.

According to researchers at Birmingham and Warmwicck University, disinfectants and household products such as shampoos, fabric softeners, and the like are spreading drug resistant bacteria around Britain.  Soil samples from many areas have been found to contain large amounts of bacteria with anitbacterial-resistant genes.

Tons of sludge sewage is created annually and most of that is spread on farmland.  According to the researchers, that sludge contains antibiotic resistant bacteria whose growth is triggered by the aforementioned chemicals. 

This study is important because it suggests that the problem of drug resistance is not merely the result of the over prescribing of drugs, or poor hygiene standards in hospitals.

In this study, scientists looked at QAC's quaternary ammonium compounds used in many household cleaning products.  Each day, huge volumes of these chemicals are flushed from homes to sewers and rivers.  In the sewage these compounds become diluted and bacteria develops a natural resistance.

These drug resistant bacteria then are poised to enter the food chain. Once upon the land they can and do enter the bodies of agricultural workers forming reservoirs of drug-resistant microbes.

In addition, the research team found that antibiotics used to treat farm animals, especially pigs are also helping to spread drug resistance in the soil.

According to the researchers this is posing a huge public health threat in the time to come.  According to the team...the problem is not MRSA in hospitals or institutional settings....it's right out there in the environment, and is poised to become a widespread problem.  Visit our immune health aisle for great natural products.

Taryn DeCicco, ND

June 3rd, 2009

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for top prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

  This week's topic is devoted to ancient Chinese Nutrition Therapy for Spring Renewal and Rejuvenation.  After a particularly long and hard Chicago winter, many of us have awaited some spring weather and feel a shift within us to embrace something new, while moving out the old. Part of that pertains to the idea of detox which we touched upon last week.

According to ancient five element theory, life begins with wood and that is the element associated with spring. We then eat within the confines of that element and properties associated with it.  Spring is associated with energy, and the strength to grow and change as well as move beyond the obstacles associated with the confines of winter.

Chinese Medical Theory associates the wood element with the liver organ. The liver has many functions one of which is to govern the smooth flow of energy throughout the body.  When the liver is functioning optimally, the digestion is working properly, moods are stable, and hormonally things are optimal.  When energy is stagnant or blocked, anger and frustration are predominant, and digestion and hormones are off kilter.

The spring diet should be the lightest of the year in order to move out waste from the heavier fare of winter.  Shoots and budding plants predominate, so salt should be limited as that is a heavier energy.  The color green has a particular affinity for the liver so Kale, collards, and dandelion are all good vegetables for the liver. Sweeter flavors and pungent flavors are best for this season. An example here would be an argula salad with small oranges, beets, garlic and a citrus vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing.

The season of spring is an optimal time to eat more raw fruits and vegetables as most people can tolerate from 1/3 to 1/2 of their diet during this period.  People with digestive problems should refrain from adding more raw foods to their diets during this time. For those people lightly stirfrying or sauteeing would be more beneficial.

Due to their sugar content, fruits must be limited to no more than three servings per day for most people. It is also more beneficial to eat the whole fruits versus juicing them.  Products such as Green's First, available in the Natural Products store online or at our clinic is energetically balanced and avoids these particular issues.

Other foods beneficial to the liver are: cruciferous vegetables such as broccolli, cauliflower and cabbage, beets, and brussel sprouts.

Undereating by 1/4 to 1/3 and increasing activity will make it easier to lose weight during this part of the year.

Blessings, Taryn

Have a Safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend.  See you next week!

Best of Health!  Visit our Chinese Herbs aisle for excellent natural products!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for top prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.